Flagstone Church of Christ
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Sunday lessons and Wednesday Night Unscripted talks. For video, check out our Youtube Channel at https://youtube.com/flagstonechurchofchrist
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We have a clearer picture of where non-Christians are coming from, and we’ve recognized what’s at the core of some of our own hesitations when it comes to sharing our faith. Now it’s time to get a little more practical. How do we engage in a spiritual conversation with an unchurched person? What do we need to say? What do they need to hear from us?
After gaining a little bit clearer understanding of the perspective and mindset of non-Christians in our community, in this lesson we turn our focus more towards ourselves as Christians. What are ways we have tried to share our faith with others in the past, and how effective have those methods been? We need to also take an honest look at some of the factors that can cause us to be hesitant when it comes to engaging in spiritual conversations.
The mission is simple: "Make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) and sharing Jesus makes all the sense in the world when you are surrounded by fellow Christians, but in the real world it might look intimidating and even anxiety inducing. Does it really matter? Am I even allowed to share my faith in corporate America? In this class we will seek to better understand the "unchurched" in our community and fan to flame the Spirit inside of us to go after our friends, colleagues, and family that desperately need Jesus just as much as us.
//Note: Some sections have been clipped due to not being able to hear questions asked. Marshall and Brandon attempt to repeat questions as needed.
Welcome to Unscripted! Church leaders Marshall Brown and Brandon Dodd engage in meaningful conversations and topics aimed at asking questions honestly about culture and faith.
This week's episode is about meaningful community, and more specifically about online friendships and relationships. For a long time, there's been a stigma about online relationships, but can they actually be healthy and effective?
Welcome to Unscripted! Church leaders Marshall Brown and Brandon Dodd engage in meaningful conversations and topics aimed at asking questions honestly about culture and faith.
This week's episode is about meaningful community, and more specifically how we are biologically designed for connection. We know that we have a natural desire to connect with people and be a part of a community, but how do our brains actually work when it comes to connection?
Jesus Juke Podcast Ep. 2
MUST OR DUST THANKSGIVING EDITION
// We're just two guys talking life, family, weird stories, and the occasional Jesus Juke *Heisman Sounds*. In our second episode, Marshall and @Brandon Dodd talk turkey with Thanksgiving just a few days away. There are some definite dishes that should grace each of our holiday tables, but there is some disagreement on which ones. What dishes are landing on YOUR Thanksgiving tables this season?
WELCOME TO THE JESUS JUKE PODCAST
// We're just two guys talking life, family, weird stories and the occasional Jesus Juke *Heisman sounds*. In our Pilot episode, @Brandon Dodd and Marshall Brown challenge each other to a Jesus-Juke-Challenge with some random prompts where we expect each other to make something spiritual out of funny life circumstances.
// Let us know in the comments who won the Jesus Juke Battle, and what random topics you think would be funny for us to cover next!
When given the opportunity, many of us tend to choose the thing in life that is newer or flashier or more convenient. And that principle comes into play with our belief systems as well. Many of us often choose to focus on and put our trust in whatever is most popular or most trendy at the time or at least whatever requires less effort from us to participate in. Jesus once found Himself dealing with a group of followers who suddenly found it too challenging to continue to follow Him. He had an important question that He asked His disciples that we still need to answer for ourselves today.
Words and names carry a lot of power. The names we use or the character traits we use to describe someone often stem from our perception of that person or what we've been told about them. In His time on earth, Jesus was referred to by a lot of different names - some positive and some negative - based on what various people thought of Him or had heard about Him. With that concept in mind, Jesus asked His disciples an important question...one that we still need to answer for ourselves today.
One of the more challenging questions Jesus ever asked was actually a rhetorical question. He wasn't seeking an immediate audible response from His audience. He just used a question to confront an issue they were in habit of overlooking. It's a question we still wrestle with today, because it gets at the heart of how we view and treat others...and ultimately how we view ourselves.
When Jesus rose from the grave, it came as a surprise to many, including His own disciples. It shouldn't have been as shocking as it was for two reasons: 1) He told them several times ahead of time that He was going to die and then rise again. 2) He articulated to one of His followers some time before His death that resurrection and life were part of what made Jesus who He was. Following that conversation, Jesus asked a very important question to that disciple that we still need to answer for ourselves today.
When it comes to investing financially, those who are unwilling to make long-term investments are often either worried about the risk involved or are too impatient to wait for their investment to produce results. But what about spiritual investments? What about investing in my relationship with God or investing my time, my energy, maybe even my stuff so that someone else can be blessed? When I can't see immediate results, is it worth it to invest in others? Is it worth it to invest time and effort into my relationship with God?
During this final Sharing Jesus class, we will remind ourselves of the reasons why we need to be engaging in spiritual conversations when the opportunity arises. We will also get some practical tips for effectively sharing the good news about Jesus and helping non-Christians see the need for Jesus in their own lives.
Debt is not uncommon...at least not in our American culture. It is estimated that approximately 80% of Americans are in some kind of debt right now. Debt has become so commonplace that it almost doesn't bother us - we expect to live with at some amount of debt in our lives. And yet debt can be a cruel master, taking control of our thoughts, actions, and relationships. So how do I get free from it? How can I transform my debt into the freedom that God wants me to enjoy?
When we think of "greedy" people, we think of folks like Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" or Gordon Gekko in the movie "Wall Street." Most of us don't consider ourselves to be greedy. And yet, when we take an honest look at our perspective and our actions when it comes to our finances, we may discover that we have an unhealthy craving to get more money and more stuff. How big of an impact can greed have in my life? And how can I transform my greed into contentment?
My relationship with money can be complicated. Money can be the thing I work hardest to acquire yet complain about the most. It has potential to help me accomplish wonderful things, and it has potential to consume every aspect of my life. I’m called to trust God with my money, but I often end up trusting money to be my god. But what if I shifted my view of money and changed my relationship with it? Could transforming my relationship with money actually transform other parts of my life as well?
God promises to bless His followers, right? That's part of being a child of God - receiving His love and His grace, but also His blessings and His protection. If I believe that to be true, then it becomes very easy for me to expect that I'll never have hardships, nothing will ever go wrong, and God will keep bad things from happening to me. But that's not the reality, is it? What happens to my faith when I experience difficulties I never expected? And how do I continue to trust in God when I'm battling through negative circumstances?
The excitement and anticipation of the work I'm doing can fade pretty quickly, especially when the expectations I had going into that job are not being met with my actual experiences. I may have had a vision of a positive, teamwork-oriented, fulfilling environment when I started working at a particular job only to find out that my perfect picture is not my reality. So how am I supposed to handle that? Do I quit? Do I just "grind it out" and suffer through? What do I do when my vision for my job is not what I'm experiencing?
I might have a perfect picture in mind of how flawless my marriage will be, how awesome this dating relationship is going to be, what an amazing connection I'll have with my kids, or how well my friends and I are always going to get along. But then problems come, mistakes are made, and feelings get hurt. My picture-perfect relationship becomes anything but picture-perfect. What do I do what my vision for my relationships doesn't match the reality I'm experiencing.
If we were to come up with a list of things that we get excited about, some of our responses might include vacations or ballgames or opening gifts or going to a certain concert. Something that probably isn't on the list, or at least isn't very high on the list, would be giving...especially giving to the church. It's not that we don't want to give; it's not that we don't think giving is important. It's just something that most of us don't get too excited about. But what if I changed my perspective on giving? Could it become something I actually look forward to? The truth is that changing the way I give can create a change in me!
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